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The Patriots' ride to destiny

By Ed Niser, eniser@nashobapub.com

Updated:
03/15/2014 07:01:52 AM EDT

North Middlesex hockey fans cheer for their team during Thursday's 12-0 win over Wahconah in the Division 3A state championship game at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ED NISER

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SPRINGFIELD -- The North Middlesex Regional hockey players started to shove their bags stuffed full of gear into the underbelly of the charter bus that would take them to the promised land, the MassMutual Center, in Springfield.

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Eighty-five miles away in the Western half of the commonwealth sits a large American Hockey League arena that on Thursday night traded in its professional game host to the Division 3A state championship. As the Patriots boarded the bus, they appeared to be confident about their chances, but not too cocky. Not knowing very much about its opponent, Wahconah, North Middlesex prepared for the worst.

Head coach Mike McCarthy and his assistants passed their phones back and forth to compare statistics on the night's opponent.

North Middlesex players celebrate on the ice with their trophy. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ED NISER

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The bus driver, Ernie, plopped a DVD down on the folding table in front of assistant coach John Jamieson, it was titled, "Miracle," -- only fitting for a group of young men preparing to square off with an unfamiliar opponent.

As we took off, Ernie turned to the front two rows of coaches and athletic department personnel and mentioned that he drove the Russian Olympic team to its game against the United States.

Coach McCarthy turned to the driver and said: "I think I would be more comfortable if you drove the Americans."

There were mutterings in the back of the bus where the players had all congregated and the occasional tearing sound of sticks being bound in tape. It was a steady, yet calm, focused confidence.

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As the bus meandered through the city of Worcester, the players knew they were about halfway there. You could see the anticipation in everyone's eyes, including the healthy scratches for the night. When the bus finally pulled into Springfield, North Middlesex senior forward Daigan Robichaud broke the ice with a joke and had the entire bus in stitches as it whipped in front of the players' entrance at the MassMutual Center.

As the players gathered their bags ported them down to their dressing room, McCarthy and Jamison went up to strategize their line changes around the layout of the rink. When the players returned, they saw fellow Central Mass. team Shrewsbury dominate Westfield, 6-0.

When it was finally the Patriots' turn to take the ice, they were ready. Everywhere North Middlesex goes, its student section, The Trench, follows. North Middlesex Athletic Director James Bunnell had originally put in for two student fan busses, but the demand quickly rose to four.

More than 250 students clad in throwback North Middlesex gear cheered the Patriots to a 12-0 Division 3A state final win. Bunnell looked around his office at the start of this week and remembered that the students had asked if they could have a throwback night and wear the decommissioned uniforms. What better time than the Patriots' first state final appearance in more than a decade.

"Kyle Schwartz, the Trench leader, and I talked about doing a retro, vintage night during the season because I had all these old uniforms," Bunnell said. "So, he came to my office to ask about busses and asked if they could do the old uniforms, and I said sure, $2 apiece. Kids were buying three, four, five at a time to deck out for vintage night. The money will go to the North Middlesex athletic account and to offset the cost of the busses."

North Middlesex scored five goals in the first period, and it never took its foot off Wahconah's jugular.

As the boys made their way to center ice to claim their prize, the North Middlesex Trench cheered louder than ever. And, when the players made their way back to the dressing room, there were tears of joy and jubilation. Hugs all around, and yes, the passing around of the hardware. The boys quickly discarded their blades and raced up to the main concourse to thank their loyal fans, only to see that they had left ... or so they thought.

As the team made its way to the players' exit, it was greeted by a mob of screaming fans who were pounding on the window to get a glimpse of their champions. The Division 3A state champs pushed their way through the euphoric crowd toboard their chariot back to Townsend with a shiny new trophy in their grasp and the best record in Patriots hockey history at 19-3-2. Senior defenseman PJ Dupre predicted that the Patriots would win 15 regular-season games, and they did.

"It was definitely something surreal," Dupre said. "I never thought that we would make it this far. From freshman year to senior year, there was a real huge change in the program. We really stepped up our game thanks to our coach.

"Walking through that tunnel of fans was crazy. I never thought I would experience something like that."

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